Kam
11-09-2005, 07:34 AM
Finally caught up and saw Rebel Without a Cause again after about 15 years and also The Quiet Man.
Rebel Without a Cause - already discussed this a lot with deano, but i guess watching it when i was so much younger gave the impression that dean was just so cool as this high school punk, but now, it definitely dawned on me that there is NO way he's in high school. Natalie Wood is believable as a high school senior, but dean as a teenager.... that is a stretch. however, in spite of that, its still a brilliant movie. but now back to the previous dean/brando comparison, and after refreshing my dean reccolection, i dont think there's any comparison at all. i still have to recheck east of eden to get the full comparison (the kazan connection) but from what i remember, dean had one note which he played extremely well. brando had far more gradations in his performances. just as an example dean's "You guys are tearing me apart!" soulfelt scream for help to brando's "stella!" and you can see how much more is churning within brando. it's almost as if dean has it right for the first few levels, but if you were to look much deeper, you won't find much more. however, that being said, he was still magnificent and this is a comparison to, arguably, the greatest actor ever.
The Quiet Man - i've been on a bit of a ford kick recently and this is right up there with his best. (he did win best director for it). john wayne plays an american boxer who returns to his native ireland and falls in love, marries, etc. what is now a cliched tale is pretty fresh watching it told by ford. he has an invisible style of directing that really makes a movie effortless. i dont think there are many directors at all that can insert themselves into a movie without it being obstrusive. very few directors in fact can do that. spielberg is one who you can immediately tell, this is a spielberg movie, whether it is schindler's list or jurassic park, his touch is evident, but not obtrusive, because his touch is with the thematic elements you're being drawn into, the human element in JP is given as much weight as any special effect (the eating ice cream scene, the family themes, the protection of children, etc). whereas the worst case of a director inserting himself extremely obtrusively in a film, imo, is michael bay, because he visually inserts himself into a movie with "ooo this is gonna be a cool shot" visuals, regardless of impact, emotional value, pov, or anything logical. spielberg, i had read, was a huge admirer of ford, and watching the Quiet Man, i can see the exact same things that spielberg does, done bby ford decades earlier. the quiet moments between people where so much more is conveyed than can be done with words Ford nails. and its so effortlessly light, even when dealing with tough issues like the ira or wife-abuse, it doesn't bog down as in "we are now dealing with heavy material" it still stays light and lets the story speak for itself.
Another two very high reccomendations. :)
Next up: All About Eve, Chinatown, and Stagecoach.
peace
k2
Rebel Without a Cause - already discussed this a lot with deano, but i guess watching it when i was so much younger gave the impression that dean was just so cool as this high school punk, but now, it definitely dawned on me that there is NO way he's in high school. Natalie Wood is believable as a high school senior, but dean as a teenager.... that is a stretch. however, in spite of that, its still a brilliant movie. but now back to the previous dean/brando comparison, and after refreshing my dean reccolection, i dont think there's any comparison at all. i still have to recheck east of eden to get the full comparison (the kazan connection) but from what i remember, dean had one note which he played extremely well. brando had far more gradations in his performances. just as an example dean's "You guys are tearing me apart!" soulfelt scream for help to brando's "stella!" and you can see how much more is churning within brando. it's almost as if dean has it right for the first few levels, but if you were to look much deeper, you won't find much more. however, that being said, he was still magnificent and this is a comparison to, arguably, the greatest actor ever.
The Quiet Man - i've been on a bit of a ford kick recently and this is right up there with his best. (he did win best director for it). john wayne plays an american boxer who returns to his native ireland and falls in love, marries, etc. what is now a cliched tale is pretty fresh watching it told by ford. he has an invisible style of directing that really makes a movie effortless. i dont think there are many directors at all that can insert themselves into a movie without it being obstrusive. very few directors in fact can do that. spielberg is one who you can immediately tell, this is a spielberg movie, whether it is schindler's list or jurassic park, his touch is evident, but not obtrusive, because his touch is with the thematic elements you're being drawn into, the human element in JP is given as much weight as any special effect (the eating ice cream scene, the family themes, the protection of children, etc). whereas the worst case of a director inserting himself extremely obtrusively in a film, imo, is michael bay, because he visually inserts himself into a movie with "ooo this is gonna be a cool shot" visuals, regardless of impact, emotional value, pov, or anything logical. spielberg, i had read, was a huge admirer of ford, and watching the Quiet Man, i can see the exact same things that spielberg does, done bby ford decades earlier. the quiet moments between people where so much more is conveyed than can be done with words Ford nails. and its so effortlessly light, even when dealing with tough issues like the ira or wife-abuse, it doesn't bog down as in "we are now dealing with heavy material" it still stays light and lets the story speak for itself.
Another two very high reccomendations. :)
Next up: All About Eve, Chinatown, and Stagecoach.
peace
k2